Waiting
by Dotti3
Summary: Forever he would want her and so forever he would wait. Non-mass
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** He would forever want her and so he would forever wait.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto or any of its characters.

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><p>Pain. His hand is assaulted by a bruising, bone crushing grip.<p>

Screams. High pitched wailing. So much noise. Too much to take.

The noise eventually subsides to coos and gentle murmurings. He finds himself forgetting his broken hand, mesmerized by the breathtaking sight right before him. A clearly tired Sakura smiles the most angelic smile, as she cradles the newborn infant in her arms. Her emerald eyes twinkle and her being projects a heavenly glow. He finds himself thinking she's never been as beautiful as she is at this second. He always thought her to be an unparalleled beauty. He had blushed when they first met, nearly fainted when she floated down the aisle wearing white, but now he simply smiled.

The past nine months had been an emotional roller coaster for the both of them. He lost count of how many times he rubbed her sore feet or made late night runs to appease her crazy cravings. He doesn't even want to remember how many times he held her hair as she was sick in the mornings or comforted her when her hormones got the best of her. But now it was all over and the payout was spectacular.

"Itachi," her eyes shifted to meet his, "would you like to hold her?"

Not able to correlate a proper verbal response, he merely nodded briskly and stretched his arms out eagerly. The warm, tiny bundle was placed neatly as he surrendered his limbs to Sakura as she adjusted him to make a perfect cradle.

He lowered his eyes to the new being. A puff of standard black Uchiha hair sprung from the infant's head. The baby's complexion the color of snow, was slightly flushed a delicate pink at her adorably chubby cheeks. The child was damn cute, he admitted.

Then he saw her eyes. They were not standard Uchiha black; they were heart capturing green. As the child stared at him with soft green doe eyes just like his beloved Sakura's, Itachi decided that this child was beyond cute; she was beautiful.

"It's a girl," Sakura said softly.

"She's beautiful, just like her mother. You did a great job Sakura," he whispered trying not to disrupt the peace.

Sakura's face flushed a light pink to compliment her hair as her face lit up with a sweet smile. Her eyes met his and the world ceased to exist. For just this moment, it was only them that existed.

The snap of a window closing ended the moment and made him aware of others inhabiting his world.

"I rushed over as soon as I could Sakura. Did I miss anything?" questioned a panicked male voice.

"Only the fun part," Itachi muttered under his breath.

Sakura let loose a soft giggle. "You missed everything Sasuke-kun! Come over and meet your daughter."

The clearly shocked and slightly battered Sasuke made his way over to the group. Itachi took one last glance at Sakura and the baby nuzzled in his grasp, cherishing the moment, because moments like these were all he had. He relinquished his seat to its rightful owner and the baby to her rightful father. He carefully passed his delicate niece over, helping his foolish, younger brother hold her just as Sakura had shown him.

Sasuke's eyes widened in awe and his lips curled into a gentle smile. Sakura giggled as he sent her a lopsided grin and kissed her silly.

Watching the scene before him, Itachi decided he was not needed here. He would never be able to be at Sakura's side as Sasuke was. No. He could only ever be the one who waited patiently and clung to every chance given to him.

He smirked bitterly at how pathetic he felt and turned toward the door, intending to slip out quietly.

"Itachi?" Sakura questioned softly as Sasuke also sent him a curious glance.

She no longer needed him, he knew, but he would always be near, waiting for when she did. He turned and sent her a small smile.

"I'm going to inform the others. Your teammate Naruto, no doubt, is harassing the doctors and I'm sure Mother is anxious to meet her granddaughter," he explained.

"Arigato," she paused, "Arigato for everything…Gomen…your hand…I-" he interrupted her with a chuckle and a wave of a hand, signaling that he was fine. A broken hand was nothing when compared to a broken heart.

He continued towards the door, before remembering. "Oh…and guys…congratulations on becoming parents."

Sasuke sent him a smirk and nodded, "and to you on becoming an uncle."

"Godfather too," Sakura gently butted in, taking the baby back into her arms.

"Aa," Itachi nodded in acceptance.

So he went and informed every one of the happy news and was deserted, as the small happy mob charged past him to bombard the new family. Now he was left alone in the waiting room with only the sick and dying as company. And so he sat and waited like he always did; like he would always do.

Patience was his virtue.

He quickly pulled out a bottle of saki just for such an occasion. Anyone else might have thought he was celebrating, but only he knew he was grieving. Patience might have been his virtue, but alcohol was his best friend. Besides, he argued, you didn't need to be sober to wait. So he drank himself into oblivion.

And he waited…

/Fin/

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So yes, this is a non-mass, as evidenced by the mention of Mikoto. And yes, Itachi didn't get the girl. Shoot me now. I originally wrote this with the roles of Sasuke and Itachi reversed, but switched on the account that it would suit Itachi's martyr image better for him to be the one to sacrifice his happiness. Personally, I was rooting for him. This is my first attempt at something vaguely serious, so I apologize if it sucked. My other two stories, **The Whole Monty Python** and **Testosterone, Tampons and Teammates**, are geared towards laughs, so if you need something to cheer you up after this depressing fic, check them out. ~Shameless advertising~.

Anywho, I intended for this to be a one shot, but I'm not so sure now. I can see a plot and I want to give Itachi a happy ending, but it would be so much work and I kind of like this the way it left off. It's so bittersweet!Regardless of that, tell me what you think about this? Should I go on?

And on a final note, please fav, alert, or review! You don't need an account to review and a simple ';)' or 'update' will more than appease me. I really need the pick-me-up after writting this, so please lend me some love.

Sorry for the long author's note and thanks for reading! Stay golden~


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or even this idea for the ending.

**Author's Note:** Special thanks to **TeenageCrisis** who gave me the idea of how to finish this off. She provided the muse to help me finish this baby, so please thank her. I also have to thank those of you who insisted that Itachi get his happy ending, because that gave me just the push I needed. And I would also like to thank **Essy-Chan** who also contributed to this ending. **Thanks** guys!

**~To my wonderful reviewers~**

**too lazy to log in:** Thank you very much! I was going for that vibe, and I wasn't sure if I achieved it or not. I tend to be dramatic and cheesy at times, but I tried to control it this time, so hopefully you'll enjoy this.

**Essy-Chan:** I know! When I heard that song, I immediately thought of this fic. I actually wrote this a little over a year ago. And yes, I couldn't resist giving Itachi his happy ending. I love that weasel too much to leave him hanging. And as for that suggestion...you shall see very soon! Thank you Essy Chan!

**ItaSaku Fan:** Thank you dear! I too appreciated the ending of the original, but I just felt so bad for Itachi. I'm glad you loved it, because that means a great deal to me. I hope you equally love this too!

**just-a-reader:** Your wish is my command! Seeing Itachi so sad really got me bummed too. Anyways, thank you for the review!

**freya:** You are so very welcome! But I must thank you for all your amazing reviews that always make me happy and inspire me to write on. While I haven't decided to make this a multi-chapter fic, I hope this last piece closes everything up nicely. I totally agree about Itachi deserving a happy ending and so I had to do this. Once again, sorry for the wait and thank you for all the encouragement!

**TeenageCrisis:** Thank you not only for the review, but for that grand idea as well! Like I said in the pm, I really wanted to give Itachi a happy ending, but I was much too lazy to drag this out to be a multi chapter fic. Your idea fit my needs perfectly, so thank you very much ;D

**Serof:** I heart you twice, because you reviewed twice. Even if it wasn't intentional, I still counted it as extra love from you. And I totally agree that Itachi is the best. They really need to give him his own series. Anywho, thank you for taking time to review!

**Demidia:** Here it is! I won't make you beg for it either, especially after you so nicely reviewed. I myself, couldn't resist slapping a happy ending on this baby. Thanks mucho mas for the review!

**SlanderousDoll:** I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I've started to hate canon Sasuke too, because he's just such a meanie face. And while the original purpose of this fic was to gage how well I wrote angst, I couldn't leave it like this. And so here I am again. Thank you for your very lovely review. On another note, I say tag your it, because now you need to update your own lovely fic (not to be pushy or anything). Just sayin'. ;D

**And now...I present the long awaited second and final installment of Waiting!**

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><p>Pain. He feels the bones in his hand give way with a crack as they are crushed for the second time in his life. His ears ring with loud sounds of agony followed by the sound of crying. And he's overwhelmed, because it all seems to be too much suddenly.<p>

Just as before though, the storm passes and he is left alone in the calm, cooing aftermath. Sakura lies exhausted and flushed in her hospital bed, spent from bringing a new life into the world. Aforementioned new life is currently cradled in her arms, resting from the ordeal of coming into existence. And Itachi himself feels haggard, like he was the one who gave birth, though he knows for a fact he did not.

It had taken seventeen hours of intense labor to end up here at this moment. With her usually vibrant pink hair limp with sweat and her clear green eyes foggy with fatigue, Sakura showed every hour it too. But still, even under the sickly light of fluorescents and recovering from a difficult birth, Sakura was by far the loveliest woman he had ever laid eyes on. And so he tells her.

Taking the time to observe his messy ponytail, rumpled clothing, and worn expression, she declares the same about him. Her eyes are gleaming with mischief and her lips tilt upward in deviousness, but Itachi can't attempt to be even the slightest amount offended by her jab at his feminine good looks. Instead he accepts the taunt as her own way of proclaiming her love for him and his manliness.

"Here," she murmurs softly, handing the newborn baby over. Though he has had plenty practice at holding and caring for the young, he patiently allows for her to fuss about, adjusting him and the precious cargo until all is well in her mind. After one last beaming smile her way, he looks to the quiescent bundle snoozing in the makeshift crib of his arms.

With hair the color of cherry blossoms and a creamy complexion, the child didn't favor the Uchiha side at all. A quick flutter of eyelids revealed the same, mesmerizing color in Sakura's eyes. The baby didn't look an ounce Uchiha, but Itachi found himself not giving a damn.

He finally had what he had always wanted. The chair on Sakura's bedside was his to sit in, the child he held was his to hold, and Sakura was finally his wife to love. There would be no wake up call to disillusion him this time, because his dream was a reality; a bittersweet one at that.

No matter how much he had hoped for Sakura to love him, he had never once hoped for the death of his own younger brother.

Itachi had been there of course. He had been the one to pluck him from a muddy death bed and desperately deliver him to the hospital. He had heard his brother speak his soft goodbyes and he had yelled at him to shut the hell up and hold on. And no matter how hard he tried to block it out, he heard his brother beg him to be happy with Sakura.

He had been there. At the end in that chaotic hospital room. Holding Sasuke's cold hand across from Sakura. When Sasuke's heart stopped beating. When his lungs stopped breathing. When Sasuke stopped being Sasuke. And he had been there, trying to hold Sakura together as she fell apart.

As he had attended the funeral, Itachi had found himself wanting, not for the first time, to switch places with his brother.

Despite his brother's wishes and his own desire to be with Sakura, Itachi found himself reluctant to take his brother's rightful place. But he stepped forward to care for his fatherless niece and widowed sister-in-law. And he began a whole new kind of waiting.

Sakura had been absolutely crazy for Sasuke and she became absolutely crazy without him. As such, Itachi took care of his niece during this time. He watched as she took her first steps toward him and said her first words to him, all of which felt wrong. She began to call him daddy, and though it pained him, he didn't have the heart to correct her. He was reminded constantly, that though she looked like she could be his child, she wasn't.

And though they were completely broken, Sakura and Itachi began to put the pieces together. She overcame her depression and he dealt with his guilt. It took many years and even more tears to finally get to this point today. But they were here at last.

Speaking of which…

"Itachi," Sakura deadpanned, "stop staring at me. It's been ten minutes and you haven't blinked. You're seriously creeping me out here."

Waking to the present, Itachi shot her an apologetic look. She knew what it meant when he spaced out like this, just as he knew where she visited every morning. But she was right; right now was a happy time.

"She's beautiful," he whispered, glancing down at the newest pinkette to join the universe.

"He," she corrected with an amused expression.

"A boy?" Itachi looked down to observe the pastel coloring of his child, noting that the girly colors only served to highlight a decidedly feminine face. At this discovery, Itachi proudly declared him his son.

"She's going to absolutely have kittens," Itachi chuckled referring to the niece he saw as a daughter. With the temperament of a tomboy, she had no patience for girly activities or objects. Furthermore, she had been desperately praying for an equally boyish little sister to accompany her on her many ventures. Instead it would seem as if the fates were tempting her, by giving the complete opposite.

"You're father too," Sakura added. Indeed, the Uchiha Patriarch would be quite ruffled at the prospect of having a pink haired grandson. Not to mention, he had just barely warmed up to the idea of the two ex-in-laws becoming an item. Luckily, they had the Uchiha Matriarch to deal with such things.

Soon enough, Itachi and Sakura were flooded by streams of happy people who congratulated them. Though no one had kittens, quite a few people got a kick out of their son's misfortunate coloring. Surprisingly, the baby's macho grandfather and older sister took turns defending the sexuality of their new family member and assuring people that he would grow up as deadly and dead sexy as any other Uchiha.

Out of nostalgia, on the way out, Itachi ambled into that waiting room he had sat in so long ago. The room still possessed the dead and the dying, but it no longer evoked the hopelessness in him the way it used to. He no longer felt bound to this place. And so he left to join his wife, his daughter, and his new girly son.

Because Itachi Uchiha was done waiting.

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><p><strong>Author's Note:<strong> So there it is! I still can't believe I killed off Sasuke, but oh well. I'll make it up to him one day. Anyway, I hope you all liked this, because I busted my scrawny little butt trying to write this. Who knew fanfic would be this much work.

And I'm sorry to have kept you waiting for **Waiting** (hehe). But puns aside, I really am sorry about that. It wasn't easy for me either. A very drunk and depressed Itachi haunted my dreams for night, so I'm glad that he'll finally be happy. I'll probably be haunted by the ghost of a pissed off Sasuke, but then again, you win some and you lose some.

And of course, here comes the part where I beg for love and attention. **Please** leave a **review** or f**av** this! I really want to hear what y'all thought. And don't be afraid to be honest with me either. Reviews of any kind always make me super happy. They are literally my high. So please be nice and lend me some lovin'. **Thank you** for readind and hopefully enjoying this. **;D**


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